


Burn

by fandammit



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-28
Updated: 2016-02-28
Packaged: 2018-05-23 16:39:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,348
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6122764
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fandammit/pseuds/fandammit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Abby tends to Marcus after he's branded. Post 3x03.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Burn

The ride back to Arkadia was quiet, tension rippling out from every member of the team.

Marcus shifted in his seat and flinched as his jacket sleeve slid down and caught the edge of the newly burned brand on his arm.

He felt Abby’s fingers gently close around his hand, turning it so his palm faced up. She reached over and gently rolled up his jacket so that it wouldn’t touch the wound.

He looked up and saw her chewing on her lip as she stared down at the brand.

“A lot more intense than we’re used to,” he said with a quick upturn of his lips.

She raised her eyes and gave him a wry smile.

“Grounder culture in a nutshell,” she muttered, though amusement lilted slightly through her reply.

He smiled in return and reached out to grasp her hand in his.

“I’m glad to be the one to bear it.”

She squeezed his hand and nodded.

The truck lurched abruptly as it hit a bump in the road and Marcus hissed in pain as his arm flew up and connected with the door handle at the back of the truck.

He clenched his fist and closed his eyes for a moment, fighting against the sharp wave of pain climbing up his arm.

“We need to clean that so that it doesn’t get infected,” Abby said quickly, already digging into the bag at her side for a medkit.

She rubbed hand sanitizer on her hands and then dampened a clean rag with antiseptic.

“This is going to sting. A lot,” she warned.

“I think I’ll be able to handle it,” he replied wryly.

She chuckled quietly and reached out to hold his hand.

“Just in case you need something to hold onto.”

With a smooth motion, she pressed the soaked rag down on the brand. Marcus had to bite back a cry of pain that leapt out of him, managing to stifle it down to a slight whimper. He tightened his grip around Abby’s hand as she leaned over the wound, her hand moving briskly over his forearm to clean the burn.

After a few minutes, he felt the pain relent as she pulled the rag away from him. She kept her hand in his as she set down the rag and picked up a small tube beside her. He sighed out loud when he felt the her fingers slide across his forearm, her small fingers rubbing a clear, cooling gel onto the brand. He leaned back as she continued to slowly massage the gel around his forearm, resting the back of his head on the wall of the truck and enjoying the feel of Abby’s smooth touch.

He lifted his head and looked back up when he felt Abby draw away from him. She rummaged in the medkit and drew out a clean bandage. She moved closer to him, her knees on other side of his leg; she tugged his arm forward diagonally so that it rested half on his leg and half on hers. She carefully wrapped the bandage loosely around his arm.

“It should be fine,” she said, smoothing down the bandage, “as long as you keep the area clean and the bandage loose. I’ll check it again in a few hours to see if there’s any swelling.”

He nodded but made no move to shift back into his seat. This close to her, he could see the weariness lining her features, the worried, faraway look that had settled into her eyes. He reached over and settled his hands on top of her knees.

“Hey,” he said gently, “Clarke’s going to be ok.”

She looked up and nodded.

“I just,” she stopped and clenched her jaw, took a deep breath before continuing. “I just wanted more time.”

“I know.” He stopped for a moment and stared at her intently. “I’m sorry I broke my promise.”

She cocked her head to the side in confusion.

“About what?”

“I said that we wouldn’t leave without your daughter.”

The look of confusion was replaced with one of warm affection.

“As much as I relish the thought of you going toe to toe with Lexa, I think we both made the right choice in having Clarke stay there.”

He shot her a small smile, though it quickly faded when he saw a small shiver go through her.

“Do you want my jacket?”

She shook her head and looked away from him for a moment, a slight flush creeping up her cheeks. She looked back at him with an unreadable expression and swallowed slowly before reaching out and resting her hands on top of his.

He realized with a jolt that his hands were no longer resting lightly on her legs but instead had been idly tracing slow patterns on the tops of her thighs. His eyes widened as he stilled his mutinous hands; he cleared his throat roughly, ready to stumble out an apology.

Abby squeezed his hands and shook her head tightly, an amused quirk resting on her lips. Her dark eyes filled with mirth, though not before Marcus caught a glimpse of a warmer, simmering look that lingered behind them. A look that prompted him to take a deep breath and swallow hard before he shuffled back into his seat. Abby let go of his hands and they both looked away from each other.

He looked up towards the driver’s seat, trying to calm the heavy thump of his heartbeat. He started when he felt Abby’s hand reach out to touch his knee. He looked over at her and she nodded her head towards his hand, which had been lazily rubbing the bandage over his brand.

“Oh, sorry.” He mumbled. “I didn’t realize I was doing it.”

She nodded and withdrew her hand. He rested his own over the place where hers had just been, lightly tapping his fingers on his knee.

A few minutes later, he heard her sigh exasperatedly.

“You’re just going to irritate it even more if you keep doing that,” she said, gesturing to the bandage which he had just been worrying at with his hand. 

He sighed. “I don’t mean to do it,” he pointed out. “It’s like my hand has a mind of its own.”

He saw her bite back a grin; could almost see her going through and discarding the teases that came to her mind.

He let out an embarrassed chuckle and settled his hand on his knee once more. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes, trying to run through a plan for when they returned to Arkardia.

He was halfway through drafting a proposal for elections in his mind when he heard felt Abby’s fingers pulling on his hand, which had once again found its way to the bandage on his arm. He guiltily opened his eyes and found her looking thoroughly unimpressed with him. He shot her an apologetic grin, which she returned with a half-amused roll of her eyes.

She dropped his hand and tapped his knee on the side, motioning him to move over. She got up and shifted over to the seat next to him. She grabbed his hand in her own, twined their fingers together and rested their hands on her thigh.

He looked over at her, surprised, before he let a small grin slide across his face. He knew that there were a hundred different things he should be thinking about - for the good of Arkadia, their people, their future. He understood that he needed to consider the duties and responsibilities of the leader of Skaikru and the Chancellor of Arkadia.

But he wanted just one moment of peace and calm before the storm he knew was going to wash over them all soon. So instead, he pressed the pads of his fingertips, one by one, into the softness of her skin. Allowed himself to relish the warmth of her as she leaned just a little bit closer into him; let himself feel content to be nothing more than Marcus Kane holding the hand of Abby Griffin.


End file.
